After nine seasons with the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization, Kim has become eligible for free agency just short of his 28th birthday, according to CSN.
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The Baltimore Orioles and South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-Soo have agreed to a two-year deal worth $7 million, the Baltimore Sun reported on Wednesday. Leading up to the deal, the Orioles had been one of the teams linked to the 27-year-old, left-handed outfielder. He could have signed with any team in Korea or Japan, but after rejecting an offer from the Bears this year he expressed interest in testing his abilities in Major League Baseball. He hit.326/.438/.541 in 2015, hitting a career high 28 homers, while posting a 101/63 BB/SO ratio.
Over his 9+ year career, Kim has walked more times (597) than he has struck out (501).
When asked about the report that the O’s had offered Kim a two-year deal, Duquette said earlier this week, “We’re still looking for left-handed hitting and we’re going to continue to work on that this week”.
He has played left field and first base in Korea, but probably would be a left fielder in the majors, where he would be considered adequate.
Hyun-soo Kim put up robust offensive numbers in the hitter-friendly Korean League, slashing.318/.406/.488 for his career.
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Filling one of those holes with a Korean player is not a surprise under the Duquette regime.
